Big D and the Kids Table is a third wave ska band formed in October 1995 in Allston, Massachusetts when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork In Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records and SideOneDummy. The band has been noted for its strict DIY work ethic, such as engineering, producing, and releasing their own albums and videos and self-promotion of their own shows.

In 2000 the band recorded a gangsta rap album, Porch Life, and distributed it unofficially via cassette tape. In 2003 the album was officially released on CD through Fork In Hand. They have also recorded splits with Melt Banana, Brain Failure, and Drexel.

Big D and the Kids Table have played 200 shows a year, on average, in support of such bands as Less Than Jake, Streetlight Manifesto, Catch 22, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Dropkick Murphys, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Mustard Plug, The Pietasters, Rancid, Alexisonfire, Reel Big Fish, and Anti-Flag and have become a regular performer on the Warped Tour. The band has also performed in the Summer of Ska Tour 2006 and the Ska Is Dead tour.

In the fall and winter of 2007 the band embarked on their first-ever large scale headlining tour, The Steady Riot Tour, named after the 2007 release.